Namasté!

Welcome to Deezden! My name is Dithi and am a self-taught artist, now living in Geneva (Switzerland). I love to drink 'masala' chai! Indian traditions, women, mythology and folklore inspire my paintings. This blog is about my art, my life and my likes (not so much dislikes).

Feel free to leave me a comment after my posts. For any questions, commission inquiries, purchases through Etsy etc. email me at happydithi@gmail.com

Paint away!

Sunday, 28 December 2008

I heard this song yesterday evening and I could not wait till morning to start painting. I have not made a video in a long time. I am not a patient person and the editing really needs a lot of attention.

I wish the first half was shot in broad daylight as well, but then the dim lights add a rustic feel to the video, almost as if I was painting in a hut by the lantern.

Krishnokoli and Chondona Majumdar sing the song beautifully and the musical arrangement is perfect. I am no poet, Arnab helped translate:

''Shonar palonker ghore, likhe rekhechhilam dware''

(Alone in my room, full of comforts, I wrote on the door)

''Jao pakhi bolo taare, she jeno bholena more''

(Fly, bird, fly thither -- ask him never to forget me)

''Shukhe theko bhalo theko, mone rekho ei amare''

(Be happy, be content, but do remember me forever)

''Buker bhetor nona betha, chokhe amar jhore kotha''

(With tears in my heart my eyes shed my sorrow-laden words)

''Epar opar tolpar eka,''

(My pain, too strong to bear, upsets all other feeling)

''Jao pakhi bolo taare, she jeno bholena more''

(Fly bird precious, fly thither -- ask him never to forget me)

''Shukhe theko bhalo theko, mone rekho ei amare''

(Be happy, be content, but do remember me forever)!

''Megher opor akash ore, nodir opar pakhir basha''

(The skies fly above the clouds; the bird's nest is across the river)

''Mone bondhu boro asha''

(My heart harbours immense hope).

''Jao pakhi jare ure, tare koyo amar hoe''

(Fly bird mine, do tell him on my behalf)

''Chokh jole jae dekhbo taare, mon chole jae odur dure''

(My eyes long to see him again, my heart wanders afar)

''Jao pakhi bolo taare, she jeno bholena more''

(Fly, bird, fly thither -- ask him never to forget me)

''Shukhe theko bhalo theko, mone rekho ei amare''

(Be happy, be content, but do remember me forever)

Soundtrack from the movie: ''Monpura''

Singers: Krishnokoli & Chondona Mojumdar (Thank you for singing this so beautifully)

Composition:Jao Pakhi Bolo tare

Thank you Arnab for playing this song to me yesterday, I shall treasure it, always!

Friday, 26 December 2008

Thursday, 25 December 2008

We went out to see the Marchè de Nöel (Christmas Market), had Vin Chaud ( Spiced up warm wine) and walked through the old town when the bells suddenly started ringing beautifully at the St. Peter's Cathedral! It was beautiful.....

Sunday, 21 December 2008

Yesterday, we took the bus all the way upto the Swiss-France border,

this is a snap from VersoixDouane.

A quaint Christmas market is lit up with beautiful colored lamps and filled with pretty handmade things, the place smells beautiful and looks inviting. Will be going there today evening to get some snaps and some ''vinchaud''!!!!

Now it is my turn to nominate the next five to be tagged, so here they are:

Thursday, 18 December 2008

I have been ''tagged'' by my lovely friend sweetmango ! I have not done this before, so please excuse me if I do something silly while being tagged and passing it on. I do have to tag someone after I am done, right? One or five? !

Okay, so the 5 things that I do to try and keep my mind healthy and peaceful and joyful are:

1. Paint: Nothing gives me as much joy, calm and satisfaction, I love the challenge of a blank canvas (how poetic!) and I enjoy the moments when I am met with unexpected magical results.

2. Mind work-out: I try to be regular at my yoga and ''Pranayam'' , I got a routine prescribed by an amazing Yoga Guru from Calcutta on my last trip.

3. Learn: something new, through a movie or a documentary or a book or a friend. Even from the mistakes and the faux pas. Explore, doesn't have to be calculus or rocket science, but learningrejuvenates and matures one's thinking.

4. Stay Positive: Try not to delve into negativity and divert my mind through productive creative activities. There is so much that I want to do with my photography, journalling, painting, crafting (each of these : extremely therapeutic à moi).

5. Keep good company: be in the company of healthy, thinking and thought provoking, progressive minds. I enjoy the simplicity, directness and honesty in people, sometimes even to the point of bluntness. I prefer that to conditional love.

Not very complicated, eh?!! I will tag on only after you guys tell me when and how to do that.

Thursday, 11 December 2008

The scene outside: It has been snowing incessantly since yesterday. Last year we did not see this much of snow at all. The pictures here were taken this morning in front of the school that faces our building. The kids got a break from their routine classwork to play in the snow!!!!!!!!

These two ladies in bright pink coats seemed to be having too much snow fun.

Now, some snapshots of what happened through the weekend....

Last Friday, our very sweet neighbour and friends Padma and Peter came home for tea. They got us this super cute box of yummy Swiss chocolates! What a treat, once I opened the box, I did not have the patience to click anymore, almost finished the entire box that night itself.

Isn't it pretty?!!! Thank you Padma, Peter.

Thank you for the warmth, for your love and support.

We had a lovely time.

Here is a photo of the two of us on the 9th, Arnab's birthday!

I made Zaffranipulao and Chicken Curry (Bengali ''Kosha'' style).

A quiet celebration with aromatherapy (winter spice candles that smell of

Thursday, 4 December 2008

I am sure most of you will be surprised / confused and wondering! This is, indeed, the same painting that I posted under ''work in progress'' some days back.I had not been able to finish this for quite some time, the events in Mumbai kept us glued to the news channels. What has happened is shocking, scary and sad. Today's post is not about what happened in Mumbai. This is a follow up on where I left with this painting.

As I sat down to work on it, I realised that I did not quite like the way it had turned out. So I changed it, changed it some more et voila! here I am. The canvas measures 40cm x 40 cm and it is about an inch thick.